Many people get caught up in how the world defines success and find it tempting/natural to chase after fame, fortune, possessions and more. None of that is important to God. Christians who embrace that truth can have a lifestyle that is more peaceful and fulfilling. To align your heart to God’s will, be obedient, pursue after Gods’s calling for your life, measure success in God’s terms and point people to Christ.

In 2020, God called me to start a fitness YouTube channel called, The Fitness Mission. I had no experience with YouTube and had no desire to become an influencer. But, I did have a desire to align my heart to God’s will. Over the years, God has used my ministry to help grow my faith and give me a platform to point people to Christ. I learned to step out, embrace the calling, discover God’s standard for success, and celebrate victories along the way.

Lesson #1

STEP OUT AND ANSWER YOUR CALLING

Aligning your heart to God’s will involves stepping out of your comfort zone and being willing to say yes when God gives you a mission. The devil is great at pointing out all your weaknesses, but as the apostle Paul says “we boast in our weakness” because it takes the spotlight off us and lets God be glorified for any success we have.

HOW TO BE AN ‘APOSTLE’ – OR AT LEAST BE LIKE AN APOSTLE

Christians are often referred to as “Christ followers”. It implies having a mindset and desire to submit one’s will to God. The term apostle means, one who is sent out. This mindset builds on being a faithful follower and becoming empowered with a calling, a mission, that intentionally goes out to be an influence among others and be a messenger of Christ. Jessica Brodie in her article, Should Every Christian Strive to be Like the Apostles?, she says, “The answer is yes! We can do our best to model Jesus…We can share His message with others.”

When God first called me to start The Fitness Mission, I was very resistant. I felt unqualified and let the fear of failure nearly keep me from starting the ministry. That’s when I had to pause and ask God to “direct my steps according to His Word”.

I prayed that simple prayer daily and that’s when God revealed that my channel would be used to feed the hungry. It took two years and a lot of grit, but eventually my YouTube channel became monetized, which for us means we now donate 100% of the money to MANA Nutrition, an organization that provides life-saving packets of food to severely malnourished children. If I had let the fear of failure stop me from being faithful, I would have missed out on seeing how God orchestrated my ministry to feed His children, both spiritually AND physically.

Lesson #2

DISCOVER GOD’S STANDARD FOR SUCCESS

Aligning your heart to God’s will requires understanding that God measures success differently than the world culture measures success. The world defines success through wealth, power, and popularity – to name a few. Success in God’s eyes is when we build a deep, meaningful connection with God the Father and help others (and ourselves) grow closer to Him.

Jesus isn’t tracking how many “likes” our faith-based Instagram Reel received, he’s tracking our faithfulness.

During my first year of releasing YouTube workouts, I found I was comparing my channel to others. I became jealous of social media influencers and became obsessed with checking my video views and seeing how many new subscribers I had gained. That’s when I began praying the words of Psalm 139 from the Bible over my ministry and my heart: “Search me God and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

When we pray for wisdom, God gives it with abundance. He showed me that measuring my ministry’s success based on popularity or financial gain would never result in true fulfillment. If I compare myself to those who have more, I’ll feel envious. If I compare myself to those who have less, I might puff myself up.

Jesus isn’t tracking how many “likes” our faith-based Instagram Reel received, he’s tracking our faithfulness. The marker of success is when people see Jesus through us and the work He has called us to do. That’s something we don’t always see ourselves.

Lesson #3

CELEBRATE THE VICTORIES AND POINT PEOPLE TO CHRIST

In the Bible God tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS” and then because we need reminders, He repeats “and again I say Rejoice!” If we want to align our hearts with God and make Him the Lord of our life, we need to celebrate all the little victories along the way. You’re making a difference in the world and God’s Kingdom, and that’s worth celebrating. When small milestones are achieved, rejoice! When big victories happen, rejoice!

When you invite God to direct your steps, He will bless you and make you successful in His eyes.

God has accomplished great things with The Fitness Mission. My ministry is small but mighty. The Fitness Mission YouTube channel has almost 400 free workouts available and averages around 400 hours of watch time (aka exercise time) each month. In addition to traditional workouts, the channel offers family fitness classes, Parkinson’s workouts, and prenatal wellness.

Our family donates around $200 each month to MANA Nutrition, simply from people exercising. Followers report that the mission of feeding starving kids keeps them motivated to stick with their exercise program & complete more workouts.

Most importantly, The Fitness Mission has given our family a platform to share the Gospel (the biblical instruction from Christ) in our local community and online. Through this ministry God has blessed me with the love and support of a group of faith-based fitness YouTubers called the Core Kingdom Collective. Our family celebrates all these accomplishments while eagerly waiting to see what God will do next.

Wherever you are in your ministry, business, or fitness journey, when you invite God to direct your steps, He will bless you and make you successful in His eyes. When we align our heart with God’s will, He will give you the power and platform to connect people to the life changing power of Jesus Christ.

The post The Fitness Mission appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

So no, this isn’t a promise (a fantasy) that with God and a scant posing suit you’re guaranteed to win a bodybuilding competition. To say that loving Jesus and others is going to make you super happy, more fit, with stronger muscles, feeling great, looking amazing and living longer isn’t where I’m going with this either. Ok, maybe it will but that’s not what this is about. And to think that fitness is really about that is to objectify fitness. The fitness lifestyle is beneficial, stimulating, a passion even an obsession for many and most certainly a journey for all but it can never be who you are. It isn’t you. If your self-identity is first and foremost fitness you may be several things but you’re certainly not ‘fit’. And, you’re certainly not fit to be influencing others.

LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU

[tap on that link above!]

In the fitness culture there is a lot pushing you (people, products, programs and places). They are all perceptions of what fitness can and should be. Everyday you see those who have the physique of a God and loudly live a lifestyle of being their own God. They eat the very best food, wear the most flattering clothing, get more done by 7am than some do in a day, have a workout routine that is mind blowing, they’re satisfied and confident. AND – they have the followers to prove it.

But, here is how the Christian lifestyle is better: You still workout but now you also workout your own salvation with fear and trembling. You practice and demonstrate responsive obedience. This is a better lifestyle because it calls you to be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. You continually think like Christ. He set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave – He became human!

Those who embrace a fitness lifestyle usually find pleasure in it. Often they don’t just find the pleasure – they embrace it. When you truly prioritize Christ you’ll come to understand how the Christian lifestyle is better. It’s full of energy. That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.

See the difference? Instead of insatiably seeking pleasure, persistently pursue God.

PART 1 DONE – HERE’S PART 2

So, having the mind of Christ is better than just doin’ my thing. By a long shot it’s better and more robust, for you. But that ‘better’ gets even better yet! Here’s how:

God wants you to be a living sacrifice – giving something of value for the sake of someone else. Here’s what God wants you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life— (and every aspect of your fitness lifestyle too) and place it before God as an offering.

This dramatically transforms fitness from being primarily a self-centered activity to you pursuing God and being others minded. That transformation in and of itself makes your fitness lifestyle really strong and powerful. But don’t look at the Christian lifestyle as simply the better way to be strong and powerful.

Being a living sacrifice and being others-minded from God’s perspective isn’t Effective Altruism – where one pursues ethical life-optimization, effective giving, combining empathy with evidence and focusing on the most promising solutions. The difference may seem like they should be subtle but dig into the Bible and you’ll find that the Christian lifestyle requires faith. At some point or another – and likely pretty early in your journey toward being stronger in Christ and more powerful for God you’ll find that being obedient and being a living sacrifice requires you to NOT be reasonable or figure out the best way to follow through.

The Christian lifestyle is better not because of what you can do but only because of Christ.

Sarah Chodosh in Popular Science talks about the mystery of physical fitness this way, “Exercise builds muscle—we just don’t really know why.” She goes on to share about the discovery of titin molecules and the relatively new discovery of the role they play in muscle growth.

As mysterious as it may seem to be, having the mind of Christ and being a living sacrifice are more like physical exercise than we realize. The more time you’re being obedient to God the more His Spirt can bind to the exposed parts of your spirit triggering growth.

Listen to this Morning Mindset podcast by Carey Green about how to be a living sacrifice.

The post How The ‘Christian’ Lifestyle Is Better appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

FEATURED IMAGE ABOVE: Family – Eduardo, Jose, and Lucy (Loya), provided by Fran Poloni, Special Strong, West Valley, Arizona.

ARE YOU ADAPTIVE?

Can the fitness culture at your gym, training studio, church fitness ministry, school, group class or even your own home workout be adaptive? Specifically, if you were to intentionally exercise with someone who has special needs could YOU “adapt”: adjust what you do, how you think and behave and become suitable and useful for that particular relationship? Could you get beyond it being a 1-time special experience and instead build it into a consistent and ongoing passion to nurture, in both you and that other person, abundant life in Christ?

Special Strong is a nationally recognized innovator and industry leader for changing lives through adaptive fitness. They help people with mental, physical and cognitive challenges including Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, rare genetic conditions and many more conditions.

This story is meant to inspire you, call you to pray, seek God and use your fitness lifestyle to BE LIFE to others. That could ultimately be you making a difference in your community with a rewarding Special Strong gym franchise or it might simply be you following God’s Spirit to be the influence someone needs. Whatever it may be, the time is ripe for you to adapt to what God wants.

We all have life and that’s a great gift to have. The person who is active and fit AND has experienced and knows the strength of God has an even greater gift. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities! Go beyond your routine and what you think your agenda is and respond to the special call of being faithful to God by being strong with someone else.

THE BEGINNING, THE MISSION AND NOW

Daniel Stein will be the first to tell you a spiritual truth: We’re all born with a void that only God can fill. You’ve likely heard people who love to workout share how fitness saved their life from drug or alcohol addiction or more. That was the story for Daniel too until he realized that fitness was not enough. It left him empty still. It wasn’t until he fully gave his life to Jesus Christ that he was able to experience the richest kind of life that God intended for him – true fulfillment found only in Christ. That was the beginning of Special Strong.

Early in the formation of Special Strong, Daniel realized that God wanted him to found the business on a Biblical anchor. The specific Bible verse, John 10:10, speaking first of Satan and then of Christ says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (more and better life than they ever dreamed of, more abundantly).” Stein explains, “[that] really is a focal point to filter everything we do.”

Now, with more than a dozen Special Strong locations throughout the U.S. people with mental, physical and cognitive challenges are receiving fitness training – and something more. While the fitness training is what people see, Daniel offers this insight, “We’re creating opportunities for people who don’t have many opportunities, to live an abundant life.”

THIS is the distinct value that a Christ-centered fitness ministry/business can deliver: Good quality training and services PLUS the motive and direction to not just do good but anticipate the Spirit of God to deliver over and above abundance. Daniel and his team look for it and find it.

He says, “There’s nothing more powerful to anchor into than the Word of God. There are a lot of successful companies that are not Christian… and they still have a lot of success. For any Christian who is truly surrendered to Jesus on a daily basis we actually have very divine and distinct advantages in the marketplace. No matter how good their mission is they don’t have that kind of access. If Christians want to have an eternal mindset, we can’t just come up with this stuff on our own and put God’s name on it. He wants us to seek him first. If I had just picked a mission I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to draw closer to God. That’s the thing about business: You’re either doing business by yourself or you’re doing it with God. There’s a big difference between the two.”

EVERY PERSON HAS A STORY TO TELL – EVEN IF HE CAN’T TELL IT

Eli was my first Special Strong athlete. He was born with Hypotonic Cerebral Palsy which makes his muscles weak and floppy, his flexibility excessive, and makes stability challenging. He is also unable to communicate verbally. We’ve gotten to know each other as we meet to train, and learn how to communicate overcoming verbal barriers. When stretching, Eli will let me know that I can continue extending a muscle with a ‘thumbs up’ and when at full extension will give me an open palm with five fingers out to stop and hold the stretch. This non-verbal communication has been noticed by other gym goers, who now encourage and motivate Eli with high-fives, fist bumps, and smiles when they see him at the gym. When Eli overcomes challenges, he always has a smile on his face! -Fran Poloni, Owner & Adaptive Fitness Trainer, Special Strong West Valley, Arizona

THE DIFFERENCE GOD MAKES THROUGH SPECIAL STRONG IS VERY BIG

All of us, beyond the real biological need to be physically active, need to find purpose, be productive and bring value to others. Whether someone believes in God or not, that is spiritually hardwired into everyone.

People with disabilities as Stein says, “Have significantly greater challenges than most people will ever face. [When they] don’t get services the enemy comes after them very hard. He gets them in isolation, where they don’t have any community and they feel like they have no hope.”

This is THE huge calling that the church (every individual who follows Christ) has: to bring the hope of Christ to others. So, the muscle to exercise, the skill to develop, the strength to gain and then flex in daily living is to be an obedient and eager tool for God to use to give hope and life to others.

Daniel sees (and you can too) the incredible change in lives when that happens. He describes it this way, “They were just breathing in the air. That’s all they did. They get into these fitness services and God breathes life over them. Suddenly, they’re contributing to society. They’re getting jobs for the first time. They’re replacing the victim mentality with a victor mentality. I know they’ve got a tough life but God did not design life to be that way. He has designed us to live like a victor… to live an empowered, abundant life.”

RESOURCES

Tips For Befriending Someone With Disabilities

To Be Befriended: A Meditation on Friendship and the Disabled

Tips for Disability Accommodations in Church and Ministry Settings

MORE FROM

NubAbility Athletics/Sam Kuhnert, 2019 Faith & Fitness Magazine Fitness Ministry Award Recipient

Driven To Access And Adapt

Positive Exposure, Picture The Spirit Of Difference

Nice Isn’t Good Enough – Pastor James Dixon

How God Gives Me ‘Different Abilities’ Through ADHD by Heath Ellenberger

Inclusion – Simple Accessibility by Heather Pennington

The post Special Strong – An Adaptive Fitness Culture That Builds Abundant Life In Christ appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

The post Special Strong: Adaptive Fitness – Abundant Life VIDEO appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

Below you’ll find the song, Slide, by Chris Howland. It really expresses beautifully the core concept of The 1-Meal Fast — to slide away, get alone and hear from God. Text in italics are lyrics from the song. Enjoy the song here but then buy it and download it.

It’s lunch time and everyone in the office has either gone to the break room or headed out to one of the nearby restaurants. Everyone that is except you. Today, you slide away to the vacant spare office at the end of the hallway. The one with the lights out and the blinds drawn.

Fasting – the act of abstaining from food. Some do it solely based on the physical science and others do it as a religious practice. This one honestly doesn’t fall into the strict parameters of either. To be clear this is not the one-meal-a-day (OMAD) diet often referred to as the 23:1 intermittent fast (IF). It also isn’t the Daniel Fast, Jonah Fast, Ezra Fast or a 1,7, 10, 21 or 40 day fast – yep the kind Jesus did. This is, simply put, intentionally not eating 1 meal so that you can instead get alone for some quality time with God.

If you go to church with any regularity, you’ve likely heard the preacher talk about fasting. Theres a ton of scripture that can be cited and incredibly in-depth examinations of how to do it based on how people in the Bible did it. And, if you were to conduct an honest poll of people walking out of a Sunday morning sermon on fasting you’d likely find they are willing to try to fast but not confident they’ll really be able to do it.

A strategic pastor will schedule a 3-week sermon series right around the end of the year when you yourself already feel guilty about all the holiday overeating you’re doing. It’s a build up, a preparation, for a nicely timed all-church 21-day fast at the beginning of the new year, which coincidentally you may have been planning to do anyway as you join more than 64 million Americans who have a gym membership. The annual January pilgrimage to gyms is followed by the annual February Exodus from them. Gyms bank on it, regular gym members dread it. A sharp church preacher will capitalize on it with genuine hope that the fasting sermons and the fitness good intentions may actually result in you achieving at least some fresh spiritual gains and commitment. If the preacher goes easy on the congregation, you may get to choose the 1 thing instead of food from which you’ll fast. Like abstaining from social media for 21 days.

Sure, why not. Let’s at least try!

However while the much touted statistic/myth that in 21 days you can form a new habit may be true for some and certainly compelling to all of us (on average it’s actually 66 days – yikes!), making your faith in God a lifestyle requires something other than a 21-day group “we can do this”.

ALL OF THAT TO SAY: DO A 1-MEAL FAST

OK, so one of the primary reasons for fasting, from a Christian faith perspective, is to enrich your prayer time with God. In the below self-evaluation mentally check all that describe your prayer life:

✓ 1. I cry out to God or would try to cry out to God in an emergency (like right before an automobile impact)

✓ 2. I say a short prayer before I eat

✓ 3. I used to pray, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep”. Now, at least, I try to talk with God a bit before I fall to sleep.

✓ 4. When a group of people pray (like at church) I join along.

⊠ 5. I regularly get some quality time with God – AND God get’s some quality time with me.

Most of us can check 1-4. The last one, 5, not so much.

LET’S TALK SIMPLE STRATEGY TO FAST

Could you fast 1-meal once in a month? That’s maybe 30 minutes out of 720 hours in a month. Start simple to get started and then you can do more as you experience it. Breakfast, lunch or dinner? You decide but don’t cheat. Measure how much time you take for a meal and give your time with God at least that much time.

Let me slide away – oh let me clear my mind with you. Let me find a place just to spend a little time with you.

Where? Probably not in the break room, restaurant or home table. Identify in advance where that quite, undistracted and uninterrupted place will be. It is you ALONE with God or perhaps it is you and someone else alone with God. Look forward to that. No mobile phone, no texting, no emails, no waiting for a Zoom meeting to begin, NO INTERRUPTIONS.

What do you do? Focus on God. That might include some Bible reading, some praise and worship, some prayer (talking with God). But, it most certainly requires that you LISTEN to God – that is a skill that may take time to develop.

Communicate – ‘cause everytime you speak to me, you illuminate everything I need to see.

You might do several 1-meal fasts before you start to really get a sense of how you can listen to God and what you are hearing. When you commit to slow up you’ll find that you can’t get any better input/feedback or use of your time than with God. No one knows you better than the maker.

That’s it. It’s really that simple. Sure, if you need some water to drink while you’re doing you 1-meal fast then go for it but it’s unlikely that you’ll die of dehydration over this relatively short period of time.

SO WHAT’S THE POINT?

No, this fast isn’t going to help you loose weight. It isn’t really even intended to help you build discipline with your appetite although you might gain that as a possible additional outcome. And it’s not likely that you’ll have that biblically heroic moment that people talk about and go, “Wow, I wish I had that kind of faith.” But, the 1-meal fast is an intentional trade off of not eating so that you can capture some time and nurture commitment toward God. It lets you settle down and listen up.

PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL FITNESS BENEFITS

• Taking time in prayer can help reduce stress and nurture peace in you from God’s Spirit.
• Listening to God can guide you into being in God’s perfect will and plan for your life.

SHARE THE 1-MEAL FAST ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA

MORE ON HOW TO FAST AND PRAY

My Lenten Challenge – Fasting

How To Pray During Your Workouts

The post The 1-Meal Fast appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

Get The Book – Learn Lessons God Has For You

We can’t fully appreciate the fitness God intends for humanity until we understand AND EXPERIENCE our own weakness and the brokenness of those around us.

Before being introduced to Lyndsey Medford’s book, My Body And Other Crumbling Empires, I have followed Jimmy Peña for years. Jimmy is a former fitness director for Muscle & Fitness, a New York Times best selling author and the founder of PrayFit where he advocates for helping the many people who lack mobility and need respite. In 2013 Jimmy was personally introduced to chronic pain, suffering, and illness. I’ve worked with other groups and individuals all living out their faith in Christ through some aspect of fitness and wellness. I’ve highlighted many of them here in Faith & Fitness Magazine.

I received a copy of a small book by Sean DeMars simply titled, Does the Gospel Promise Health and Prosperity? I’ve not yet done an article on that book but I think you know the answer to that rather rhetorical question – NO!

It’s unfortunate but the faith and fitness community is rife with secular hype and attitude. Put even more bluntly by Paul in the New Testament book of Second Timothy, many have a form of godliness but deny the power. He wrote it from a Roman prison cell, (check out my article on being COMMITTED as a prisoner) a good place to get your eyes opened even more by God. Paul goes on to say, “stay clear of these people”. It’s no surprise that many people who don’t have a relationship with God often do exactly that AND then they stay clear of God too!

When life gets too good it’s easy to be deceived, distracted and ignore God. Unrestrained passion for health and the religious practice of physical fitness can lead to lust, arrogance, ignorance and idolatry. The Bible warning is clear: Do not be deceived. Yet we all too often and easily are deceived. Real positivity only exists in humble and total attribution to Christ. Everything else is counterfeit and lacks lasting power.

YOU CAN’T MAKE YOURSELF EXCEPTIONAL

Lyndsey Medford in her forward says this:

I’m fluent in multiple languages… In early 2009, without signing up for a course or traveling across an ocean I was plunged into the total immersion language program of chronic illness. In a matter of days, I started learning syllables I had never heard before. Burning. Throbbing. Stinging. Stabbing. I was twenty years old and a junior in college, and suddenly I could barely walk, hold a pen, open a book, or pray a prayer. The land of ease became a memory. The body I had implicitly used to make myself exceptional went on strike until I recognized her as more than a machine. – I started paying attention to parts of myself that Christians had taught me to fear, silence, cover up, and control.

-Lundsay Medford

Do you use your body to make yourself exceptional? Does your faith and fitness demand that anything and everything in your body and others that we ourselves can’t make and maintain perfect be feared, silenced, covered up and controlled instead of being wholly given to God?

Christ doesn’t call people to be exceptional. He invites you to be like Him. How do you do that? Check out the Bible for all the details.

COMMIT TO THIS – A CALL TO ACTION

Dear Faith & Fitness Magazine readers, the subtitle of this book is, Lessons for Healing in a World That Is Sick. Get this book. Read it. Pray deeply. Listen to your body in ways you’ve never done before. Find a way to put yourself in the presence of others who are tired, sick, hurting, disabled, confused and even those who are imminently facing death. Befriend them, listen to them, extend grace to them, walk with them and try to feel their pain and suffering. Then tell God, like you never have before, #hereIam

Commit to learning God’s lessons for healing in a world that is sick and you’ll gain a transformed understanding and appreciation for fitness as the true love and blessing from God that it is.

AN OVERVIEW OF MY BODY AND OTHER CRUMBLING EMPIRES

Sixty percent of adults in the U.S. live with a chronic illness. If we included mental illness and chronic pain, that number would be even higher. Autoimmune diseases in particular, including long COVID, are on the rise. 

Christian adults living with chronic illness may be left behind by the talk of “body positivity” or embodied theology, as they struggle to unequivocally name their bodies as good. They may have read books about healing through “lifestyle interventions” like diet or “detoxing,” but wonder if being unable to follow the recommendations or failing to heal means they don’t deserve to live with less pain. They are looking for ways to live gracefully within limitations they never asked for, and/or to understand their experience of chronic illness within a larger context of global burnout. 

In My Body and Other Crumbling Empires: Lessons for Healing in a World that Is Sick Lyndsey Medford points out the beauty, and ubiquity in limitations; the importance of accessibility, broadly construed; the interconnected nature of health and public health; and the badly-needed wisdom we have gained from living with our particular bodies. A recent review in Publishers Weekly raves: “Those suffering from chronic illnesses will find a compassionate friend in Medford, and those seeking to live a more justice-focused life, a willing guide. Her sharp insights will help readers re-imagine healing and wholeness.”

The post What To Do When Your Body Is A Crumbling Empire appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

I just think it would have been really weird if Jesus had told Simon and Andrew while they were fishing, doing their everyday busy life, “Come follow me – for just 7 weeks and if you don’t think this being fishers of men idea is just as cool as I think it is then you can go back to doing your same routine – until I come up with something else and then I hope you’ll try it too because I’ve got a program to sell here.”

Being in the world AND of it is tempting. I mean it can’t be all that bad, right? God didn’t have social media, algorithms, or best practices for success back then. He sure didn’t have bills to pay. If he had come on, you know he’d do it too. He can do anything he wants.

So here you go, if you’re going to do “challenges” let’s at least be sure to incorporate biblical truths into them. Things like this:

Stay awake with me 1 hour.

Matthew 26:40

Pray unceasingly.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Don’t have eyes for the fashionable god of darkness, thinking he will give you what you want and you won’t have to bother believing a truth you can’t see. Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life the more evident in us. We’re not giving up. How could we! There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4

IF IT’S NOT REALLY A CHALLENGE – IT’S NOT A CHALLENGE

God wants people to practice fitness as a physical working out of the faith that is on a “can’t see” level. If the life of Jesus is to become more evident in us then we must train not with the cheapness of a challenge but by exercising ‘forever’ daily beginning now and not giving up but continuing right on into eternity.

The post The 7 Second Fitness Challenge appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

This page is the place where you can learn about Garage/Home Gym Church, access resources, participate in community, and get direct support to begin and grow your very own Garage/Home Gym Church right in your home. Bookmark this page on your device and return for updates.

NEWSLETTER

Garage gyms became popular in 2021 as many gyms temporarily closed due to Covid pandemic protocols and fresh expressions of church emerged in 2004 to pioneer a movement in reaching people outside the reach of the church. Now, those who are passionate about fitness and about personally being the life of Jesus Christ among others have a way to do both – Garage Gym Church. Subscribe to our free YouTube Channel to receive videos you can host in your workout space!

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel Hosting Garage Gym Church content here!

ARTICLES

Access the following feature articles in Faith & Fitness Magazine to learn more about Garage/Home Gym Church:

“Garage Gym Church and Fireteam Prayer: A Band of Brothers who Train and Fight Together in Prayer”

The post I Call It My Garage Gym Church appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

It was August 2021. I had just returned from a 13-month unaccompanied overseas tour in the Middle East with the US Marine Corps to reunite with my wife and son in San Diego, CA. We were in the midst of multiple major transitions and challenges as a family on multiple levels. One of the biggest ones was my reintegration as a military spouse/parent returning from an extended time away from my family based on my tour.

Going back to less time at work was nice and seeing my family was also nice not to mention now having weekends generally off aside from the occasional duty obligation, business trip, or training exercise. However, in my off-duty time, I now had a family to tend to at home where free time overseas was spent hanging out with friends, working out, reading, or working on a special personal project. I certainly had lost a sense of the daily rhythm of day-to-day family routines, especially in terms of raising a small child and handling the emotional ups and downs of a spouse in everyday life from the positives of fun recreation to the negatives of something getting broken in the house or in the car for example. On the other hand, my wife and son had gotten used to me not being there and had their own routines which were now disrupted having to take into account my presence as well. As you can imagine, reunification was a stressful time that took a lot of time, work, and empathy.

Obstacles to Personal Physical and Social Wellness

On top of reunification from my time overseas, we as a family were in the midst of moving into a new home and faced a series of health challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic where we had to limit exposure of our immediate family members to the virus because of high risk for hospitalization and death at the time to a nearby grandfather diagnosed with cancer and a pre-school aged boy with upper respiratory complications. As a result, in order to minimize the risk of being exposed to the virus and bring it home to susceptible family members at the time I started working out with a sandbag and doorway pull-up bar as the only equipment in my garage. Over the next few months, I added a box jump, bumper plates, and a barbell.

The Birth of the Garage Gym Church Concept

I have always enjoyed working out as a way of relieving stress and while I was less than happy about being confined to the garage to workout by myself during that season of life, God used that time to work in me a new vision of what Christian outreach and discipleship could look like out of a chaotic and stressful time in my life where I was also very lonely due to the dual realities of trying to build a new support structure in the midst of moving to an entirely new job, physical location, and not being able to meet other people, especially Christian brothers and sisters in physical church settings. Over time I was able to rebuild this network as the situation with my family changed. That being said, much like an oyster is able to build a pearl with secretions of fluid over a sand particle irritation in its soft flesh, God birthed in me a new concept of growing spiritually individually, and corporately during my times alone working out in the garage with a concept I dubbed “Garage Gym Church”.

Satisfactory Physical Fitness But Not Enough Time for Spiritual Fitness

When I started working out in my garage gym I faced a dilemma regarding the amount of time I had fitting in my personal devotional time in the morning, quality time working out in the garage, showering and changing for work, walking the dog, and my morning commute to get a parking spot on the military base I worked at before it filled up forcing me to walk a much further distance. Trying to do a personal devotional or working out in the afternoon/evening was almost a non-starter with a young kid clamoring for my attention after work and a harried spouse who was glad to offload my son on me once I got home! I hate to admit it, but when forced to choose where I would take the cut between staying in physical shape and spending alone time with God, I started cutting corners in my alone time with God. Maybe you can relate. On weekends when I didn’t have to go to work, I still needed to get devotional and fitness time in before my now 5-year-old son woke up typically by 7 am. Sometimes I didn’t get even that and would be surprised to see my wife open the door between the kitchen and the garage to let my son wander in to join me in my workout while she either went to take a shower or stay in bed.

I found that integrating my morning commute of 20-30 minutes with devotional time either through prayer or listening to an audio Bible was a pretty good way for me to get my devotional time in while also snacking on a light breakfast of apples and boiled eggs while driving. That being said, I started to consider that maybe I could integrate motivational and educational content I have amassed over the past few years since 2017 that has been focused on my work with total force fitness in the military community. I decided though to try listening to content during my workouts in my garage that were both secular and Christian in nature to help me develop my mental and spiritual toughness along with my physical toughness first in the morning.

Integrated Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Fitness Training Sessions in the Garage

I discovered that playing educational audio content whether watching it on a TV or listening to it during workouts was challenging because my mind would get caught up in counting reps, thinking through my next workout steps, or losing focus on the content due to difficulty in exercise technique or sheer difficulties in the workout scheme as I was gasping for air during challenging sets. However, I discovered that listening to high-energy “life trainers” such as retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Pastor John Hagee, Pastor Steven Furtick, Joyce Meyer, and other motivational thought leaders both secular and Christian especially integrated with background music typically found in the adventure and war scenes of epic movies was a powerful physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual experience!

Using motivational content during the workout I for one was able to concentrate on the content for some reason I feel because it was somehow being psychologically tied to my mindset during and after the workout. Two, it literally pushed me harder as I felt the emotional uplift in the content give me literal physical strength and energy I previously didn’t have. Three, I was able to immediately tie the content in my mind not only with the physical challenges I was putting myself through in my garage but also the challenges I was having at home, work, and in my ministry. Four, the challenges of thought leaders such as Joyce Meyer talking about the importance of applying principles in life such as the command to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 forced me to remember to think and speak positively vs. negatively which had an emotional uplifting shift. Just try thinking and speaking thoughts and words of negativity or complaining and consider how you feel. Now do the opposite to think and speak words of gratitude, courage, positivity, etc. and you will literally start to feel happier. Thoughts shape our feelings which shape our words, behaviors, and habits. I have learned to discipline my thinking both during physical exercise and in life in general. In a previous post, I speak on the importance of positive self-talk to physically get you through challenges which you can find here: Officers Don’t Fall Out of a Hike…Ever.

Difficult Fitness Experience Opens Up Heart and Mind to Pain and Growth

Furthermore, because the workout was physically challenging, my heart felt through my emotions and my overall mental state was more open to being challenged in the same way as well to suck up the pain and get stronger. I listened to multiple motivational videos from the Lion of Judah YouTube Channel including “Take a Stand: Never Give Up Child of God” while doing the “Jesus” Hero Workout of the Day on Good Friday and it was an incredibly uplifting experience to be reminded and challenged to go all out living for Jesus in my life when I considered all He had done for me. There were times I wanted to quit but I felt like I would literally be a hypocrite while listening to content telling me not to quit! This inspirational aspect was told to me by a Navy Religious Program Specialist during one workout in a military outdoor gym where he felt like he wanted to throw in the towel during the workout but was motivated by the content from Motiversity highlighting the famous story of David and Goliath along with others to persevere in the midst of challenges!

Starting Your Own Garage Gym Church Experience and Total Fitness Partners

After some time of tying in Christian and secular content to my garage gym workouts, I felt inspired by God that these training sessions could be easily something a small group of 1-4 other individuals could participate in depending on equipment, space, use of the driveway, etc. I noticed that in my neighborhood which was a military housing community, many of my neighbors had outfitted their garages into mini functional fitness gyms with pull-up bars and squat racks, various bumper plate sets, and other equipment. I even watched a group of about four ladies who were likely military spouses working out together between the garage and driveway with what looked to be some type of CrossFit or High-Intensity Interval Training group workout. Interestingly enough, what also made this concept in my mind start to emerge was logistically all it took was just one individual/family to open up their garage which most American homeowners especially have for a group fitness session. The amount and type of equipment vary but I was able to outfit my garage gym inclusive of a doorway pull-up bar, 145 pounds of bumper plates, a 45-pound barbell, a scalable 10-60lb sandbag, a 20″ x 24″ x 30 ” box jump, a jump rope, and a yoga mat for just under $800. My wife also wanted a $1300 rower as well which completed the setup. I also had my military equipment including a flak vest for weighted vest training and my rucksack to round out the training. If you go to Rogue Fitness Garage Gym Equipment Packages, you will find some fairly inexpensive scalable options for starting out your own garage gym. What’s nice about the garage gym concept for starting an individual, partner, or small group training program is the initial investment is not all that much. Even if you just want to try out the concept, you can literally do bodyweight workouts in your garage or purchase a sandbag from a company such as GoRuck. From a Christian hospitality standpoint, turning your garage into a space for the neighborhood, co-worker, family, or friend outreach is not all that far-fetched when you consider many church life groups today operating out of lay leader home living rooms, kitchens, and patios. The operating cost is practically the same whether you use the space for Christian outreach or not and for churches considering this concept, the “ask” of members really is just to consider throwing in a workout with amazing content for small group discussion!

With that being said, I would like you to consider the “Garage Gym Church” concept in the New Year as a way of developing yourself and others physically, mentally, and spiritually. If you are looking for a good playlist, please subscribe to the Freedom Fitness America YouTube channel “Shoot, Move, Communicate” and join our brand new “Tactical Garage Gym” private Facebook Group where we will be posting a weekly workout challenge + personal development content both secular and Christian in nature along with updates on outdoor adventure total fitness training opportunities. Furthermore, if you are looking for a regular “done for you” training program to follow in your garage gym, consider our “Tactical Garage Gym” training program that includes nutrition tracking, regular motivational content to listen to during your workout training sessions, and easy to follow functional fitness workouts designed originally for tactical athletes with exercise video links all delivered from the confines of your smartphone! Lastly, please feel free to join a combined Faith and Fitness Magazine and Freedom Fitness America 30 min Focus Group Zoom Call at 0730 PST on Jan 10 to learn more about how to get involved in the Garage Gym Church movement in 2023!

Fit for the Fight and Life,

Chris Reardon

Major, US Marine Corps

Founder/Executive Director

Freedom Fitness America

https://freedomfitnessamerica.org

The post Turning Your Garage Into a Place of Physical AND Spiritual Fitness in the New Year appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

A CHRISTIAN DISTINCTIVE

Contrastingly, at Christmas we begin to think of giving gifts and receiving gifts to and from our loved ones. Sometimes we don’t realize the value of the gift of sex in a loving monogamous relationship that we share with the love of our life, our spouse. An outstanding hallmark of Christianity from the beginning has been monogamous marriage. Christians stood out within their communities because of it. It has also stood the test of time and there are so many benefits to sex within monogamous marriage. Let’s take a look at some of them.

First of all, sex is a great releaser of stress. Sex within marriage doesn’t carry all of the negative baggage that sex previous to, or otherwise outside of marriage carries like guilty feelings, regret, worry about STI’s or an unwanted pregnancy with someone who is not your spouse.

BENEFITS ON MANY LEVELS

Sex within marriage leads to greater and greater levels of intimacy. You get to know each other better and better in a way that no one else on earth does. This helps develop a trust relationship that is sure and steady. In happy marriages this can have interesting physical benefits. Happily married couples blood pressures drop when they sleep together. Their heartbeats synchronize as well. Their hearts literally beat as one because of the assurance that they have that their spouse loves them absolutely and has their back at all times.

The physical contact involved in this helps us to bond more strongly all of the time. There are endorphin receptors throughout the skin covering of the body and they react to intimate and loving touch, which generates endogenous (or internal) endorphins, a kind of super relaxant. Hugs contribute to this, and married couples are encouraged to hug each other at least eight times per day.

LIFE LENGTHENING AND ENHANCING

Another great benefit of married sex is that it is antiaging. Cells in the body that are anti-inflammatory are released during sexual activity. This helps the body to be able to repair more effectively and seems to be a built-in way that the wellness and well-being of the married couple is enhanced.

Sex within marriage raises our immune system by causing the release of an antibody called immunoglobin A. This helps protect our bodies against invasive bacteria and viruses. A lifelong marriage is a very holistic stabilizing factor physiologically for a couple.

SLEEP LIKE A HUSBAND AND WIFE

An awesome married sex life helps us to sleep better because oxytocin is released substantially after orgasm. Cuddling afterwards and going to sleep is very natural and healthy. It helps us to have healthier looking skin as it promotes blood circulation, and it even helps women to have lighter periods. Many women have cramps during their monthly period, and regular sex to orgasm can make a difference through frequent uterine contractions that help expel toxins and tissues.

Sex within marriage raises our moods and gives us a more positive outlook on our spouse. If we are reflective we see that it’s benefits go far beyond immediate pleasure. When we look at the physical and spiritual fruits of our married sexual relationship: our children and grandchildren, it is obvious that this is definitely one of God’s most important gifts to us. After all, his first words to humanity were to go forth and multiply. As they say, this is the gift that keeps on giving as we experience one wonderful and memorable Christmas after another, year after year, and decade after decade.

GOD’S WAY IS ALWAYS THE BEST WAY

Married sex is a wonderful example of men and women displaying consistency, intentionality, and most of all faithfulness. This is what God intended for humans and without doubt, it is best for us. As noted above, it pays dividends multi-generationally to a family and then to all of the lives that a family influences in their lifetime. As we have seen before, it is always in our best interests to do things God’s way. Profound and magnificent blessings follow in that pathway. One path leads to death, the other path leads to life. Let’s choose life!

Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

Hebrews 13:4 CSB

Sources: Importance of Sex in Marriage: 15 Physical & Psychological Benefits

5 Reasons Sex Within A Marriage is the Best Sex You Will Ever Have

The post THE CHRISTIAN GIFT OF SEX WITHIN MARRIAGE appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.